Chapter 39
Continental Year 761, March 12 (Friday).
Spymaster Corbin was delivering his report in King Eldric’s office.
“Your Majesty, there have been reports of certain nobles in Livia mobilizing a significant number of private soldiers. While the exact purpose remains unclear, they appear to be engaging in military exercises and regional patrols…”
The king reclined diagonally on the throne, eyes half-closed. Was he even listening, or merely dozing off? Corbin, however, was well-acquainted with Eldric’s habitual indifference.
That was Eldric for you.
Despite the gravity of the report, the king’s response was lukewarm. Though he showed some concern for his personal safety, his judgment was utterly lacking.
“Dispatch more spies to investigate thoroughly. If necessary, we’ll deploy the army to suppress them.”
No matter how much Corbin elaborated on the situation, the words never seemed to reach the king. Corbin held back the retort on the tip of his tongue:
“Your Majesty, do you even realize how long it’s been since the military received proper training?”
Of course, such insolence stayed in his thoughts. He wasn’t foolish enough to speak it aloud.
The capital defense force was the only functioning unit left in the central army. If Hadwin was still active, he’d have collapsed from sheer frustration.
Critical defense budgets had been cut to fund the construction of a residence for the yet-to-be-chosen sixth queen.
Apparently, they’d just found her—another young woman with ample charms.
To make matters worse, entrusting corrupt Silbrenoa bureaucrats with construction work inevitably led to embezzlement.
The costs of the residence and garden maintenance had been inflated tenfold. Reports indicated that these scoundrels were often seen frequenting the capital’s most luxurious entertainment establishments.
According to undercover agents posing as courtesans, they spent money like water.
Though loyalists occasionally raised the alarm, Eldric always remained indifferent. Many honest officials who persistently reported the truth were eventually dismissed.
Thus, the palace was now filled with thieves complicit in looting the national treasury.
Only a few remained committed to their duties—dubbed “The Silent Conscience.” They stayed quiet to avoid expulsion yet refrained from embezzlement.
But a mere handful of upright officials could do little to reverse the tide.
Silbrenoa, this young sapling of a nation, was already rotting from the roots.
And now even its branches were in turmoil. With local nobles displaying troubling behavior, there was no one to respond.
The once-vibrant officers handpicked by Hadwin during the university’s prime had either resigned in disillusionment or followed him to the countryside upon his retirement.
Those left behind were merely remnants.
As a result, the Grand General’s position had remained vacant for years. Was this even a country?
New talent was scarce, and the closure of the university further dampened any hopes of replenishment.
The discontinuation of basic education had led to the bizarre phenomenon of the younger generation being less educated than their elders.
Silbrenoa was now in such dire straits that even the finest gardener could not save it. Uprooting and replanting from scratch seemed the only viable option.
The nation’s founder, King Solinor, had risen from humble beginnings, building Silbrenoa with his bare hands.
His legendary exploits as an adventurer were still widely recounted. Though his reign was short, his governance was exceptional—a true dragon from the stream.
In stark contrast, his son Eldric was regarded as a fool obsessed with women and surrounded by sycophants.
This judgment was entirely fair. Eldric was unloved by both the nobility and the common people.
And yet, Corbin felt a pang of sadness. He was one of the few who remembered the king’s former self.
***
As he exited the office, Corbin let out a deep sigh.
“He wasn’t always like this. When did things go so wrong?”
Images of Eldric’s childhood surfaced in his mind—a bright, candid boy with a sparkle in his eyes as he declared his intent to become a great king, unashamed of his father’s legacy.
Though he had a rough temperament, he knew his limits.
For a boy who grew up without parents, he had turned out well. But everything changed when he was twelve.
A boy barely in his early teens, getting involved with a maid—it was unthinkable.
Eldric had always had an eye for women, especially those with ample figures. But this was too much. And it wasn’t just one or two incidents.
Though recent reports indicated that Crown Prince Alfred had done something similar, Corbin dismissed it as minor.
Alfred, at least, was eighteen at the time and had stopped soon after.
Back then, the four regents governing in Eldric’s stead naturally raised an uproar.
They trailed the young king everywhere, scolding him incessantly. Perhaps that was where things went wrong.
Since then, Eldric’s attitude had noticeably changed. It was a long time ago, but Corbin still regretted it.
After Sylvius Peregrine passed away, the newly appointed Royal Court Magician proved to be an enormous problem.
Corbin had disliked him from the moment he laid eyes on his sly appearance, and the man eventually caused an irreparable disaster.
Upon his appointment, the new magician quickly won King Eldric’s favor with intriguing magical artifacts and flashy spells.
This was during a time when Eldric harbored resentment toward his father’s friends, who constantly lectured him.
Naturally, he was drawn to the magician, who offered pleasant words and fascinating experiences.
At first, Corbin thought little of it; even Sylvius had enjoyed showing off his magic.
However, while Sylvius’s antics were about boasting, the new magician’s intentions were entirely different.
The problem arose with how he utilized the expensive research facilities granted to him through his royal connections.
Several years later, grotesquely modified human beings were discovered in his laboratory.
The magician had been conducting inhumane experiments on people abducted from slums.
What’s more, he had taken the time to brainwash other magicians, delaying his exposure for years.
Even spies Corbin had planted were not immune to this indoctrination.
“He was completely insane.”
A Royal Court Magician who turned out to be a necromancer—naturally, the palace was thrown into chaos.
A suppression force was dispatched, but they faced magical traps prepared over years and coordinated attacks from brainwashed magicians.
The result was heavy casualties among elite soldiers, knights, and officers.
The crisis ended only when Hadwin, barely still active, decapitated the magician.
But the aftermath was severe. For the young King Eldric, it was a painful betrayal from someone he trusted.
Solinor, Eldric’s father, had not been particularly astute, but he had an eye for trustworthy people.
Most importantly, he genuinely prioritized the well-being of his people, guiding his governance with sound counsel from capable ministers.
But Eldric? He was neither astute nor receptive to advice. Worse, he couldn’t control his carnal desires.
Even now, when he focused on a single queen at a time, he was far more restrained than in his younger years.
Back then, his entanglements with maids and the daughters of noble families were… nightmarish. Corbin still shuddered at the memory of cleaning up after those incidents.
Such circumstances had repeatedly disrupted the kingdom’s balance of power.
Although Silbrenoa’s local nobles had traditionally been weak, that was no longer the case.
The central government’s control had waned, and talented individuals who became disillusioned flocked to powerful regional figures.
The fact that the population of the capital had nearly been overtaken by regional centers underscored the severity of the situation.
At this rate, how could the nation avoid collapse?
Yet—
Who built this nation? It wasn’t going to fall without a fight.
Silbrenoa wasn’t just Solinor’s kingdom. It was Corbin’s kingdom too. Alongside Sylvius, Aryen, Hadwin, and Aiorin, they had all played a part.
Without even one of them, the nation would not have existed.
Sylvius was gone, but Aryen and Hadwin were still alive, albeit aged.
Their reputations and leadership had allowed them to establish their own regional influence.
They were key figures in Corbin’s plans.
But then there was that irresponsible elf… Aiorin. She vanished when Eldric was just two, singing that life was dull without Solinor.
“Damn it, Aiorin. Why haven’t you returned yet?”
Corbin couldn’t venture into the Fey Forest, where spirits shielded her from intruders. Several attempts had been made, but they were all repelled by unseen guardians.
“Well, the absent can’t be helped.”
Corbin was prepared to become a traitor if necessary.
The seeds had already been sown. The issue now was finding a focal point. The king’s children were still trapped within the royal garden, lacking real-world experience.
They were mere caged birds.
Then there were Katrina and Brandon, the cards currently in Corbin’s hand.
Neither was suited to rule, but a card was still a card. There had to be a way to use them.
And then, the card that fate had handed him—the strongest one yet—Princess Muriela.
She was undoubtedly linked to Solinor in some way.
If Solinor had indeed returned, things would be much easier.
Corbin began planning how to approach her.
—
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